Standard Member

I currently have Sky+ and am fed up with paying £20 a month for a load of rubbish programs. The plan is to be rid of it and replace it with Freeview or Freesat. The aerial man came today, however, and we discovered that even though the Freeview website said that we should get coverage, we don't!

So it looks like it will be Freesat.

As I understand it, my existing dish will be fine. I don't want to pay £300 for the Foxsat HDR so am looking at a normal HD box.

With Sky, I rigged up a cable to our bedroom and one of the 'magic eye' receivers so that we could use sky in there. As a result, I do have a cable running from the back of the TV upstairs in place, but I am trying to work out what the best way of having TV in both rooms will be.

Can I get a HD Freesat box and put one input from the existing dish to it and then connect the other to the standard RF cable I have running upstairs? I assume that I will just have to change the connectors on it and then put another Freesat box upstairs and it should work?

The other option is to get an HD Freesat box with a LNB passthrough (Grundig I think) and plug my RF cable into that and again put a new box upstairs...?

Active Member

EDIT 2: After reading further i have now discovered that ex-contract sky viewing cards are the same as FTV cards or Freesat from sky cards. So just lose the contract then, you should be able to recieve this list of channels, pretty much the same as BBC's , and ITV's Freesat.

I currently have Sky+ and am fed up with paying £20 a month for a load of rubbish programs. The plan is to be rid of it and replace it with Freeview or Freesat. The aerial man came today, however, and we discovered that even though the Freeview website said that we should get coverage, we don't!

So it looks like it will be Freesat.

As I understand it, my existing dish will be fine. I don't want to pay £300 for the Foxsat HDR so am looking at a normal HD box.

With Sky, I rigged up a cable to our bedroom and one of the 'magic eye' receivers so that we could use sky in there. As a result, I do have a cable running from the back of the TV upstairs in place, but I am trying to work out what the best way of having TV in both rooms will be.

Can I get a HD Freesat box and put one input from the existing dish to it and then connect the other to the standard RF cable I have running upstairs? I assume that I will just have to change the connectors on it and then put another Freesat box upstairs and it should work?

The other option is to get an HD Freesat box with a LNB passthrough (Grundig I think) and plug my RF cable into that and again put a new box upstairs...?

Is there any other way that I can get TV in both rooms?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately John, unless you fit either a quad/dual LNB to your dish and run a second feed you'd be unable to have Freesat both Up and downstairs. The reason being that, compared to freeview, you can't split the feed and then run it to two seperate devices (well you can, but you have a limited amount of channels, since they have to be on the same polarisation). There are 5 ways i can think of getting you round your problem;

Best in the long term, but in the short term annoying. Get a quad or a dual LNB, fit the LNB, plug your original feed into it, then run a second feed to your other room. Will allow you to use both tvs at the same time and watch different things, with no limits!

Similar to your magic eye, there'll be something somewhere which will transmit the Infrared remote signal and the tv signal either through wireless (this type of thing, im unsure of how well they work though), or possibly through your original RF cable. But you will only achieve SD upstairs using this method, and you'd both have to be watching the same channel. Won't have to buy a second box either.

This option is pretty decent too, you can buy a FTA viewing card off sky fairly cheap. It just means you'd get nearly all freesat channels but without a subcription. Not sure how much a card is but, i'll have a look for you. You wouldn't have to change anything except stop paying a subscription and get a viewing card.

There is a possibilty that you can split the cable, and add F connectors to your original cable, but i'm unsure how well it would work. You could only watch 2 different channels upstairs and down if they were on the same polarisation too. SO most of the time you'd be watching the same thing anyway.

Worst option, fit a F connectior to your RF cable, then basically have it so you disconnect it from downstairs when you go upstairs to watch tv. Then do the opposite when you come downstairs. You'd have to buy 2 boxes aswell. So pretty much this option is worthless.

In my opinion go for option 1 or 2 or 3, go for 4 or 5 unless your life depends on it .

Anyway hope i helped.

EDIT: Costs £20 for a new viewing card, so probably your best option, here is a quote from this website

Where can I obtain a FTV / Freesat card?
If you have a UK address, the cost is £20.00 and they can be ordered directly from Sky by phoning 0844 2410 595. Each household can order up to four cards. However, if you live outside the UK you will not be allowed one since, for licensing purposes, certain channels are only supposed to be broadcast to the UK.

Once the Freesat card has been received, it will need to be activated. This involves calling Sky again, once the card is in the digibox. Activation is carried out via a signal from the satellite, so your digibox will need to be connected to the dish and powered up so that the digibox can receive this signal.

Standard Member

Thankyou for the detailed info, but, as is often the case, this raises more qurstions for me!

Ok, I have Sky+ so assume that I have a dual LNB and there are two wires coming from the dish to my living room.

If I go for the option where I end my Sky contract but keep the box for FreesatFromSky will that let me:

a) keep using Sky+ features (pause rewind record etc - I assume not)
b) still use my 'magic eye'thing to change the chanel etc from upstairs. IE does sky, by stopping the contract, reduce the funtionality of the box and stop RF out 2 etc.

If not, can I just use the necessary F connectors on my existing RF cable that I installed running inside the house to upstairs to increase the range of the satelite signal (I guess I mean does my cheap internal B&Q cable carry satelite signal ok if I use it as an extension from the one coming out of the dish). I understand that would mean another box upstairs of some sort but that could be a SD Freesat box for just a bit more than the av extenders you mentioned.

Distinguished Member

Thankyou for the detailed info, but, as is often the case, this raises more qurstions for me!

Ok, I have Sky+ so assume that I have a dual LNB and there are two wires coming from the dish to my living room.

If I go for the option where I end my Sky contract but keep the box for FreesatFromSky will that let me:

a) keep using Sky+ features (pause rewind record etc - I assume not)
b) still use my 'magic eye'thing to change the chanel etc from upstairs. IE does sky, by stopping the contract, reduce the funtionality of the box and stop RF out 2 etc.

If not, can I just use the necessary F connectors on my existing RF cable that I installed running inside the house to upstairs to increase the range of the satelite signal (I guess I mean does my cheap internal B&Q cable carry satelite signal ok if I use it as an extension from the one coming out of the dish). I understand that would mean another box upstairs of some sort but that could be a SD Freesat box for just a bit more than the av extenders you mentioned.

Thanks again

Click to expand...

Phew

First of all it's very likely that you have a quad lnb and two spare connections that you can wire to any sat stb

Sky will charge you £10.00 a month for the priviledge of using your own recorder (Outrageous)

Ordinary coax cable has the right impedance (75ohms) for satellite but has a higher loss especially at the higher frequencies used in Satellite and is more prone to interference than sat grade coax to the inferior screening. There's no reason not to try it though it may well work fine for short runs.

Your magic eye will work fine.

If in doubt just remove your card to convert your stb to a fta box. (You will lose a few ftv channels that your unsubscribed card will give you back)

Standard Member

Thank you both, that makes it all very clear. One last question though (sorry!):

I removed my sky card and as you said, saw that the FTA channels were still working (not sure why I didn't think to try that first...)

Anyway, the sky guide still shows ALL the channels. Am I right in assuming that if I do downgrad, I will be stuck with that guide or do they upgrade by box / card so that I get a smaller guide? If not I thinkk it will be Freesat instead - trying to keep track of which channels we do and don't have will drive me mad

Distinguished Member

Thank you both, that makes it all very clear. One last question though (sorry!):

I removed my sky card and as you said, saw that the FTA channels were still working (not sure why I didn't think to try that first...)

Anyway, the sky guide still shows ALL the channels. Am I right in assuming that if I do downgrad, I will be stuck with that guide or do they upgrade by box / card so that I get a smaller guide? If not I thinkk it will be Freesat instead - trying to keep track of which channels we do and don't have will drive me mad

Click to expand...

In a sky box you can create a favorites epg. Just copy the ones you can get to that and it will only list these. You can try this now with the card out and simply add the ftv stuff later.

Standard Member

Hi there
I'm hoping that someone can assist me with a conundrum that is driving me mad.
I recently managed to get hold of the only Humax HDR in stock from my local Richer Sounds.
It works great on my main TV but I want to also take the signal to a second TV in the kitchen about 20m away.
Previously, using a Sky+ box, I had run a coax cable from the RF out socket on the back of the Sky box.
No such socket is available on the Humax box, so I was advised to buy a RF Modulator which I duly purchased from Maplin for 20 quid. So far so good-except that where I now have a picture on my kitchen TV (SD but thats fine) BUT no sound.

Active Member

Hi there
I'm hoping that someone can assist me with a conundrum that is driving me mad.
I recently managed to get hold of the only Humax HDR in stock from my local Richer Sounds.
It works great on my main TV but I want to also take the signal to a second TV in the kitchen about 20m away.
Previously, using a Sky+ box, I had run a coax cable from the RF out socket on the back of the Sky box.
No such socket is available on the Humax box, so I was advised to buy a RF Modulator which I duly purchased from Maplin for 20 quid. So far so good-except that where I now have a picture on my kitchen TV (SD but thats fine) BUT no sound.

Can I get sound through the coax?

Thanks and regards

Click to expand...

What connection have you used from the back of the foxsat? If you've used the scart socket it should be outputting sound as well.

When you try to use a clever over-used quote as a forum signature, make sure you quote it in full!

Distinguished Member

Hi there
I'm hoping that someone can assist me with a conundrum that is driving me mad.
I recently managed to get hold of the only Humax HDR in stock from my local Richer Sounds.
It works great on my main TV but I want to also take the signal to a second TV in the kitchen about 20m away.
Previously, using a Sky+ box, I had run a coax cable from the RF out socket on the back of the Sky box.
No such socket is available on the Humax box, so I was advised to buy a RF Modulator which I duly purchased from Maplin for 20 quid. So far so good-except that where I now have a picture on my kitchen TV (SD but thats fine) BUT no sound.

Can I get sound through the coax?

Thanks and regards

Click to expand...

Push the scart plug in it's likely a bad connection. If not you can use the 3 phono connections yellow - video, red and white audio using a 3 phono leads if your modulator has phono inputs (many do). If not you will need a scart to phono adaptor for the modulator end

Standard Member

Push the scart plug in it's likely a bad connection. If not you can use the 3 phono connections yellow - video, red and white audio using a 3 phono leads if your modulator has phono inputs (many do). If not you will need a scart to phono adaptor for the modulator end

Click to expand...

Thanks to both for replies.

I've tried a scart to scart to modulator, 3 x phono at both ends, and a scart to phono, and none work to give me sound.

Also the EPG seems dead flaky to me, so i'm on the verge of returning it, and reluctantly upgrading to Sky HD!

Distinguished Member

I've tried a scart to scart to modulator, 3 x phono at both ends, and a scart to phono, and none work to give me sound.

Also the EPG seems dead flaky to me, so i'm on the verge of returning it, and reluctantly upgrading to Sky HD!

Click to expand...

It sounds to me (no pun intended), that the modulator is faulty. Connect the scart to your TV to verify that there is an audio output. One other thought the scart and phone outputs are volume controlled from the remote so check that the volume is turned up.